by
Greek Giant
The Giants losing percentage climbed to .612 with yesterday’s dreary 7-2 defeat at the hands of the Royals. Johnny Cueto got kicked in the cojones by the slugging Royals. With Cueto’s not quite mediocre numbers (5-6, 4.57) it appears the chances of getting top players in return for the Dominican Dreadlocks in a trade are diminishing in perfect proportion to the Giants chances of winning the division this year.
The mighty Royals, one of the worst hitting teams in baseball, hit 3 long balls and raked 16 hits in the game.
Mike Krukow said Willie Mays Field was playing small in yesterday’s warm, sunny, and wind-less conditions. The Giants and Johnny Beisbol played smaller.
The Giants completed a 1-4 homestand looking desultory in all aspects of the game.
I’m done.
Golden Comments by the TWG Family
The Box
I think Surf Maui has the wrong target in his sights.
Updated. Thanks for catching that.
It’s going to be hard and maybe impossible to trade Cueto now. It was going to be challenging even if he were pitching great because of his contract status–either you’re giving up assets to get a great pitcher for just a couple months (if he opts out) or you’re risking a pricey four-year commitment if he stinks or is injured (and then doesn’t opt out).
The only way I could see it is if the Giants simply off-loaded him for salary relief, basically giving him away for nothing. Even then, you’d need the exact right trade partner (the Yankees, for example) with the budget to absorb the risk of Cueto not opting out.
The funny thing is that it seems the Giants wouldn’t mind keeping him if he didn’t opt out. They just don’t want to NOT trade him, get nothing, and then have him opt out anyway.
You are correct and this is why the “opt out” clause is a disaster for the Giants. They should never agree to them, even if it is a deal-breaker. Either you sign with a team or you don’t. This should be a lesson for Evans and Sabean.
I think they were going all-in on 2016. It almost worked out, too. They were tremendous in the first half, Cueto started the All-Star Game and won 18 for them, and they did make the playoffs–and even Joe Maddon says the Cubs wanted no part of a Game 5 with Cueto pitching.
The Giants will find someone who wants Cueto and they may negotiate a new contract as part of the trade. I can see it working that way in favor of all three parties.
No, he is not going to take less money then the Giants would owe him if he opts in, so do not see that happening .
The new contract could be for more money and/or for more years…
Not Pitching good enough to earn that from another team .
You need an avatar. Let me know if you need help loading the image. It would add some pizzazz to your posts. The chicks dig them.
Actually, when he first started posting, I thought the elongated one he has was intentional.
He’s got 6 weeks to deadline, and he has a great resume..often times, other GM’s are willing to look at a wider focus than the prior 3 months, especially on a guy like Cueto, who is obviously fueled by emotion, and pitches better in comfortable, high leverage situations – generally speaking
Starting pitchers like him are always in demand. The concern I would have is that he’s already pitching in a pitcher’s park.
Nah. There is a rich enough, loaded with prospects enough, team out there that would absolutely pull the trigger on a deal for Cueto for starting depth down the stretch. It has happened many times before with rentals, and I think it will happen again. Boston could be a fit. I love Cueto, though. Until this year, he has been brilliant, a jolt of life, and a great clubhouse presence. Just another top shelf talent the Giants have wasted these past two seasons with whatever the hell is going on there.
But he’s pitching terribly. Consistently terribly.
It will diminish his value, but only slightly. Teams out there know that he’s an ace. He’s been in a bad situation with this team for a while, and a passionate, emotional player like him will reflect that. Put him in an exciting, winning situation, and he’ll deliver. Teams knows this.
they could still get a comp draft pick if he re-signs elsewhere for >50 million dollars
He has a contract, that pays him more then that .
Just for fun.
ThEn is temporal.
ThAn is comparative.
That was fun.
Grammar , that’s all you got !
Spelling, not grammar.
No , then is spelled right !
It was just for fun. You’ll do what you want. I’m trying to help your image.
I will, bye !
Bai, bye, by, bi
You and your damn drafts. You know, you shoulda been a scout, Scout Footy.
is it drafty in here or what?
I wish it was. I’m ready for autumn already. 3 more months of this hellish weather.
Season in the abyss, Kerry.
Well, OK. That’s something.
Speaking of the Yankees, what would it take to get Clint Frazier from them? Cueto and ?
Nunez!
Not even close to enough, IMHO. Two players who could walk at the end of the year, for one of the ten best prospects? That’d be a steal for us.
Gerrit Cole
A team would have to be really really stupid to give up anything significant for 2 months of cueto now.
Just for fun… What would Buster and Bum bring as a package?
Bag of Balls .
OMG – my head just popped!
I did say, “Just for fun”
1) not fun
2) way to jump start the TO/Myhill War And Peace (mostly war) contributions, presented by StatCast
That’s not funny and it’s not fun! You Blaspheme!
It is strictly a hypothetical and for fun only. We’d never bundle them any more than we’d blow up ATT. Although putting apartments in right field… hmmm.
Bum would get traded before Posey. Posey is the Giants. Bum is not. Same as Jeter was the Yankees and not Pettite.
Good point about Posey (Giants’ Jeter), but I took the bait (above). Something to talk about.
We’d all like to think that as the Giants go through the inevitable rebuild, they would keep Posey, Bum and Crawford as the transition foundation. All three of them deserve to be Giants for their entire career. That being said, if you’re serious about rebooting (see Houston Astros) there can’t be *any* untouchables.
What is wrong with this rationale is that you are not taking into consideration that 1) Bum has pitched a great deal young and may not age well and 2) SS don’t play efficiently past mid 30s, so Crawford will need to be replaced before he decides to hang it up ( he is not Jeter). Posey on the other hand is the Giants and will move to first. Other teams know this, so they won’t trade young talent for a Catcher with health concerns in near future.
Have to think when proposing such trade ideas, not just spew them out.
Come on, Efrain. I didn’t “spew out” any trade proposals. I merely suggested that in a rebuild there can be no untouchables.
Right now, those three players would likely bring the most return. Just saying, no untouchables.
This “thorn in your side” thing you do? Not a good look, sir. I think deep down you’re better than that. Hope so, anyway.
Bumgarner is the giants. Posey is a great player who happens to be on the giants now
“Posey is a great player who happens to be on the Giants now”.
Dude. Every day you certainly make things more clear on The World Of John Myhill.
He is embracing his inner contrarian in a coming out party on TWG.
Why not just say it, efrain? You don’t want any crackers on your team.
The Gs would rather keep Posey and sale there second born lol i had it turned around backwards!
As they should. Good morning Slik!
I confused that lolol!
i had it turned around lololol
CK most likely wants to play but if he can’t this year I would forget about ever playing again and take on the best lawyers possible and hit the NFL where it counts. He could be sitting on more millions in a legal case against the NFL then he would ever make in a contract.
Bingo
Maybe, but IMHO that’s not in his DNA. If no opportunity materializes I think he moves on to his next purpose in life. Legal action would result in a long, drawn out scenario that would likely further sully his name.
He shouldn’t care about that. Some of the best constitutional rights minds in the business would line up for the case. He should do it because it would be an extension of his original stance.
In you’re mind he is sullied, as everyone who is not giving him an opportunity is currently thinking.
Those are the people to stick it to, with the constitution as the backbone.
You’re wrong, Efrain. And you don’t know what’s in my mind, sir.
Fact is I think he had every right to exercise his free speech. It took courage, and while I didn’t agree with it I respect his decision to express his beliefs.
We shall see what transpires.
Didn’t work career wise for Curt Flood but did as far as principal.
Correct. I was just going to write this.
Good points but the case would be impossible to prove. I was really rooting for Kaep and this is all so disappointing but it all started with him being out of shape and then Harbaugh holding on to Greg Roman, an awful offensive coordinator. Then Harbaugh left….
He got out of shape? I thought he was a workout monster. Wasn’t it injuries that started derailing him?
yeah I don’t think he really was, it was just the team / media using that excuse to not have to deal with him.
The claims were that he lost his muscle and got too soft and skinny… Whatever.. I think his biggest problem was Greg Roman and the demise of Harbaugh’s regime. It all went down hill from there. Kaep is a better qb than the starter for at least 10 teams, off the top of my head. What is happening to him is very sad but to some degree he did bring it on himself.
Sure he did, then legal recourse is the outcome. He needs to stick it to the NFL. You don’t think there are some great constitutional rights minds out there waiting to take the NFL on? Of course there are.
We faced Ervin Santana last Friday. He pitches a complete game, allowing four hits and one walk. Giants mouthpieces basically say “Well, he’s having a great year, so tip your cap.”
Santana’s next start was yesterday vs. Seattle. Five innings, five runs, nine hits, one walk. And for good measure two HBP (after those two hitters had previously homered), leading to a bench clearing “discussion” on the mound.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Thats our problem now so many excuses and giving the opposing P way too much credit every single game!
So Christian got hit in the hand omgoodness is he ok?
Unless Cueto has some injury issue, I’m not concerned about his tradability. He’s already alluded to the clubhouse not being as “festive” as he would like and I can’t imagine the losing (and lack of run support) is making him the Johnny we want to see. Yes…he’s a professional, but he also holds lots of cards. The Giants could also provide some financial support to the acquiring team (making the trade more palatable), if he doesn’t opt out.
If the Giants were to (hypothetically) trade Buster, you might as well make the whole roster available. This said, you would start your Buster trade calls with the Yankees (Gary Sanchez + ranked #1 system by bleacher report) and the Braves (Going home + #2 ranked system by bleacher report). All this assuming Buster waves his no-trade. I would call those team about Bum too, if that was to happen (close to his home).
Keeps it real? How about keeping it Dumb.
The Yankees love Gary Sanchez and he’s not going anywhere. Posey is not going anywhere because he IS THE GIANTS. Anyways why would the Yankees trade a healthy young catchers AND another young farm piece for a catcher who is an injury or concussion away from having to play 1B?
Capiche?
Oh Efrain….way to Keep It Juvenile.
It was a hypothetical. I gave you credit (below) with your Jeter comment, because you are right…he is the Giants’ Jeter…but that doesn’t mean pie-in-the-sky scenarios can’t be discussed.
Gary Sanchez is good, but he’s no Buster Posey. If the Giants called the Yankees about Buster… even if it meant giving up Sanchez…they would do it. Buster is a gold glove catcher…he is hitting .348…he would be invaluable to their pitching staff…and he’s a 3-time WS Champion that could provide tremendous leadership to that team.
You don’t have to agree with me, because I personally don’t care…but take up de-caf or something.
Ok thanks for suggestion. But again teams know Posey will most likely have to move to first, that is bo mystery. They like Sanchez and Bird, they like being younger. A trade for Posey just makes no sense no matter how one looks at it.
Yes, the yankees are the obvious target for posey. They wouldn’t trade sanchez but they’d switch him to 1st base or something. Remember they signed arod when they already jeter and just made him a 1bman.
They have Greg Bird at 1B. Anyway…this is just a hugely hypothetical “what if?” scenario that Bapah brought up and I pondered for the hell of it.
So what? When the yankees want a player for their image, who’s playing where is just not an issue
But it makes no sense to put bumgarner on the block. He’s only 27.
I wonder what may have happened to change the clubhouse atmosphere even though the likes of Michael Morse and Hunter Pence are there. I know losing doesn’t help, but what elements may have changed to cause it.
All the hispanic players left
I don’t like the idea of paying future salary in general and especially not with Cueto.
The Giants may have over paid for Cueto and the two year opt-out was not a good idea (if Cueto contied as a great pitcher he is gone and if he had failed the Giants are stuck with a long over priced contract.
I tend to think 2017 Cueto is impaired by the general team malaise and also probably blisters.
He is the type of pitcher that could have another 5 excellent seasons that actually deserved payment of the remainder of contract based on performance. The Giants would look very foolish to trade Cueto for potential especially failed potential and still be paying part of the salary of one of top pitchers in baseball.
Happy 33rd birthday to Timmy the Kid. We’ll never forget you.
It was all over far too soon for Linscum but did he ever burn so bright.
Unfortunately he took his father’s advice and refused to become a reliever. He had already proved his worth in relieving, but only foolish LAA believed he could still do it as a starter and thus provided his own demise.
He couldn’t throw anymore. It wouldn’t have worked any better in relief.
The problem was that he took his father’s advice and kept trying to re-do the same delivery that got him to the show, even though his flexibility had changed. They kept trying to dance with what brung him, and it’s a shame he never tried to work with someone like Ray Searage to see if there was actually anything worth salvaging. Something tells me he wasn’t actually interested in working that hard to change.
I know I’m probably beating a dead horse here, but please this is just terribly wrong. This could change things for years.
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1707107?query=TOC
“Alternative Science and Human Reproduction”
But, isn’t this problem actually running across a much wider spectrum than this piece indicates? I thought it was going to be about how people are able to designate their own gender, and how laws are being drawn and implemented to allow them to do just that. If science is science, then ALL politicians should stay out of the fray, as well as SJW’s
When there is a budget, there has to be a fray. Capiche?
I think it had to do with the appointments of utter fools to important scientific oversight and policy positions in this government. You can try to minimize the effect this will have, but it is unscientific and extremely biased and will choke rational policy making.
Can you emphasize “utter fools” for me? Thanks.
Rational? What’s that?
What is it with all these Buster trade suggestions, it’s like a comedy blog:
1) Buster is the Giants, he’s not going anywhere
2) teams know his injury background (knee, leg) and know he is 1-2 incidents away from having to move to 1B. While he is still the best defensive C in the game arguably, no one can say he will last over 2 years. He is not a long term solution at C for anyone as no one can say what will happen.
3) the best trade chips are guys like Belt and Crawford. Crawford is not going to be one of the top SS in the game too long, he is a bigger guy and once he losses speed he will need to be moved. Belt is not keeping 1B warm for Buster
Starting next year for the next 4 years, Belt makes 17.2 Million a year, and Crawford makes 15.2 Million a year, the way they are hitting good luck trading them and getting anything good back . Crawford no trade clause anyway , and Belt a partial no trade clause .
Yep. Might get another under performing player making big bucks in a swap.
Yuck….
Don’t worry…John Myhill will explain it to Buster in a dignified way
The Giants are not and should not trade Buster Posey.
I also think that the Giants would be foolish to trade off core veteran players (Posey, Crawford, Belt, Panik, Bumgarner)
Also the Giants are likely stuck with veteran players with large no-trade contracts (Melancon, Pence, Span, Smaradzija, Cueto if he opts to stay) – unlike say a Rowland, these players still are useful.
Belt should get very use to playing a good portion of his time in LF.
I see Cueto, Nunez, and Moore as the most likely 2017 trade chips.
Nunez will be Giants only trade, based on contracts and performance, and the Giants thinking they are better than they are, in denial .
I don’t think the Giants are as bad as current performance nor that the team nor fans should expect several lost seasons to rebuild.
One problem is that the Giants are not only losing but boring.
They need some young, charismatic, and successful players and more team depth.
I think they need a new manager and changes in front office.
I worry that they will be fleeced in trades.
The Giants don’t need a salary dump just yet.
The Giants are as bad as the current perfomance shows. They have been playing .400 ball or less for a full consecutive year now.
I am not saying the current Giants are a .500 team or competitive but they are not a less than .400 team and still retain more core talent than other bottom level teams in 2017.
They need another 5 to 7 mlb players and one or two of ll star potential plus a new manager (sorry Bochy).
Their core talent is not likely as good as many here want you to believe. Yes some teams may want them as upgrades to rough spots in their lineup but most ar approaching 30 and have never had breakout years in power or average
I don’t think they are quite as bad as their performance shows, although they are close. They problem is more that there’s no prospect of them getting better.
The printing money gravy train at AT&T will dry up quickly if we’re playing .400 baseball. The longer we wait, the more painful it could be.
or the pain could be worse and last longer if rash.
One problem I have now is I don’t trust Evans et al or Bochy to make good choices.
Neither do I, frankly. Sabean is in that as well. The fish stinks from the head down; ownership needs to be on board for a substantial reset that will take three years minimum.
Can’t believe we got here so quickly.
That sounds pretty dismal.
Wow, that’s going to get quite a haul
They are not, you do not understand the Giants front office, and the players they gave no trade clauses to, family men that are happy in the bay area .
The yankees would wet their pants to get posey. You think they care about rational considerations like where he’ll play?? This is the team that turned arod into a 3bman.
Posey’s choice, and he is not a NY kind of guy .
What makes you think that?
His history, where he is from, how he deals with the media .
Certain unnamed guys played rover and batted 10th , and think they can evaluate better than MLB executives
I played 1B/C and batted sixth. I don’t know either! I do try to follow the MLB market, and we are out of step. The longer we wait to fix things…
If Bochy had been your manager, you would have played 1B, C, 3B, LF, RF/2B and batted 1/2/3/6/7/8/4 and a vacation in Sacramento and San Jose every time you got in a groove thing. You would still be going to ST and perhaps have a spot on the team.
Crawford has never had speed, he has first step and reflex reactions and positioning skills
whatever you think he has, he has no more than 3-4 years left as a starter, so he will have to be replaced. They should have drafted a young SS to give him the 4 years to be ready.
Arroyo is a shortsop converted to 3B. Think he’ll do.
He won’t because scouts think he will bulk up and many already question his foot speed. Look at his body. IF he maximizes his bat and gains power, he will not be the answer at SS. He can play there, sure, but won’t be a long term solution.
Your boy Belt’s trade value is taking a hit. He’s batting .229.
Capiche?
he has trade value. GM’s understand teams have bad seasons and player who have a history of performing better may only need a change of address.
GM’s are smarter than basic bloggers who only fret about the here and now.
Agree, but–as PJ will quickly remind–Belt is pricey. $72MM over the next four years. He needs to finish this season strong.
He’s a redneck. Gotta get him off of efrain’s team. Think what it does to his image
Bright side: Going into COL for four games, SFG is playing so crappy that just even competing in one of the four games would be an improvement. Expectations for all four games: COL rocks our pitchers, scores about 20 runs, and the Giants get a run or two. Anything better than that will be PLUS.
Pitchers will give up an average of 7 runs a game for 4 games. That is my guess. Can the Giants score more than 4 1 time?
I’ll stubbornly hold out hope for a split. Shark and Blach.
In the pre-season at TWG, I suggested trading Bumgarner, Belt, any 3B, and any LF, and any young starter (Blach, Suarez, anyone at AAA) and any minor league prospect not named Beede or Arroyo for Trout and any minor leaguer on the LAA.
I was not serious except in making a proposal that could possibly however unlikely tempt the LAA.
It did not go over well and now folks here are talking about Posey and Bumgarner. wow.
The Giants have had far suckier teams in my time and I don’t recall a similar proposal ever (but then most of that time was wo/internet).
The problem now is not just that the team is lousy but that either the farm system is terrible or else bochy’s managing style is such that it might as well be terrible
The only people who are talking about trading bumgarner are the ones who have a no-rednecks-on-my-team policy like efrain.
No I wasn’t. I wanted to throw up the most absurd scenario and see what happened.
Reading comprehension seems to be undervalued this season.
What came to mind immediately, a line from “Feelin’ All Right” (Traffic classic):
“That was then and now it’s today”
The Giants are not good. Capiche?
Let’s just hope they can keep it smart and put together a winner for a decade of dominance in the roaring 20’s!
Agree. But it starts now. As Lefty said, jettison the dead weight NOW. Hitters and pitchers. Play Slater and Tomlinson. Bring back Arroyo. Nunez has played himself into all-star roster position. Don’t wait too long to trade him. Don’t rush Bumgarner. This season is cooked. Let’s get something good from it.
Nunez has been hot lately but All Star? At 3B there’s Bryant, Arenado, Rendon, Suarez, Lamb, Shaw, and more.
I didn’t mean to say he makes the team, but he’s putting up numbers that garner some discussion. All star or not, he can hit, decent fielder and can steal 30+ bases. Definitely a desirable asset for some contending team.
He was an All-Star last year…because the Twins had to have one All-Star.
Getting rid of Nunez is getting rid of LIVE weight but we can’t wait around for his salary demand for 2018. If they’re going into full blown rebuilding mode then it’s basically proven talent for high ranking prospects. Aside from Bum they have to blow up the entire team. This will make them a last place club for sure but position them for reconstruction. We’re no longer at a point where we’re only 2 rent-a-studs away from a title. That ship has sailed.
Hey Mr. Freedom … good to see you more lately.
I fall on the other side of this: you have top-level players at C, 1B, 2B, SS and a #1 prospect at 3B. The OF is the project and where you play some prospects for the rest of this year [like Parker, Slater and Shaw], trade Nunez for a high-level prospect now and then you put FA money in the OF in the winter.
I’d quibble about “top-level” at SS, 1B, and 2B at their 2017 performance levels. Brandon Crawford is just regressing to his long term mean as a .250 hitter with 10 HR for the season. I agree with playing prospects in the OF. However, as things are shaping up, we’ve got a starting staff with no ERA under 4.25. That’s where trades come in.
For SS, 1B and 2B being down this year so far I agree but if you look at Defense [2 GG winners and the other a nominee] and none of them are old enough to be in decline. When the season is over I bet they each end up in the top-ten at their positions and that is “top-level” in my book. Trading for or developing their replacement you would have the odds against you to match that.
Pitching … How about they do well in meaningful games? And those type of games have been few and far between this year. Playing the Cubs or doggers is what I am thinking. How could they all fall off so much at the same time? But you are right if they finish with these kinds of numbers then you have to worry.
That defense is really helping this year .
Defense won the 2014 WS game 7.
It is not all you want but you have to have Balance.
I said go after Jay Bruce; you must like that right?
Long term averages show that Moore and Samardzija are 4+ ERA pitchers. Not awful but hardly star quality. They’re good enough to trade for prospects and start the youth movement by bringing guys like Beede up.
You’re right about the defensive quality of our infield but defense doesn’t put crooked numbers on the board and there’s a direct correlation between their MLB worst hitting and their current plight.
Ken Rosenthal pointed out Samardjz has a 3.08 over his last 9 starts and that he is the better trade chip than Johnny C. Painfully true. Smardjz stays just for hair and football skills.
Don’t trade Samardzija. He’s pitching very well.
Here’s the list. Who do you want?
http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/free-agents/
That is a handy list; thanks.
Jay Bruce, JD Martinez, Car-Go … that age that pop.
Cargo is hitting .215 while playing in Colorado. The last thing they need to do is sign someone in their 30s to an expensive contract, because they’re not going to contend next year, either.
I was looking at 29-31 years old as you are right about aging OF’ers not always paying off. Pence will be a hard one if he does not climb out of his slump. Span for one more year could be a good #4/5 OF next year.
I’d be sure to grill the Cubs re what it would take to get Ian Happ.
In 104 plate appearances Happ has struck out 37 times. His .BA is very low. You sure this is the guy you want to get from the Cubs?
The Cubs aren’t trading him for anyone the Giants are willing to give up.
You don’t know that. Just saying it’s worth a conversation. The all-knowing Oracle…
I do know that. The Cubs don’t need anyone the Giants have, except possibly Posey or. Bumgarner.
Their 2nd base situation is a bit of a mess
Yes. They have that awful Javier Baez.
I think he has tremendous potential. First round pick (#9), and I respect the Cubs talent evaluation. He’s a switch hitter, plays IF/OF, and would come with five years of team control. Desirable asset, IMHO.
Not a Happ fan but then all the Cub numbers are down this year like the Giants; they are sub-.500 again but in a division where that is 2nd place.
They’re already a last place club.
Bingo. Nails on the head hammered hard and deep.
Good luck explaining that to Bumgarner. You want to be the one to tell him to slow down?
He’s a pretty smart guy, and might appreciate having to follow such orders. I feel it’s harder to get Pence to be sensible…
Surely, though, both the team and Bumgarner want to learn what is going on when his shoulder attempts to pitch. I’m thinking a 50 pitch or 5 inning limit, which ever comes first, when he starts back up? Along with shut Bum down in September in favor of trying out some AAA arms in big league competition.
Really scary long relief guy?
Sure! Plus, we know he’s awesome at that job!
I like the idea of bringing up a slew of AAA to pitch in September. A jewel may emerge from the ashes. It’s a great experiment to try.
They’ll be mostly pitching to players on other teams who are doing the same thing. Won’t prove much more than spring training.
If given the opportunity to speak to him, I would suggest that there is no reason to rush a return to a lost season. He has a minimum of 4-5 additional years of production at his current level IMHO, and from there possibly paving a path to the HOF.
I didn’t say shut it down. Just wait until August 1 to ensure he is completely healed.
They won titles in 1921 and 1922. Oh wait : )
With Mel Ott ?
http://www.csnbayarea.com/
We are watching from UP HERE. Franklin Meuli – Phil Smith – Derick Dickey and Charlie Johnson are leading the cheers from up high.
Lump in my throat, Wally. Thanks for the update.
Really?
Try it some time.
Bill King
is he watching? or sailing the clouds?
Don’t forget Nate Thurmond, gone for less than a year.
Wilt was a SF Warrior too.
those mentioned above all were part of the 75 championship team…
If you take the game a little further they are in a room together watching.
the two you mention were not.
I will always be saddened that Thurmond was not but he netted Cliff Ray.
Thurmond and Attles life time Warriors in many ways more than Barry and his ABA / Houston days
Thanks for the ID help. Nate was standing way in the back and Bill King was in character chastising one ref for having too much goop in his hair. Wilt was entertaining about 20K women during the game.
This is awesome. Not only did Toaster Guy (the guy who gave Klay Thompson a toaster to sign, which led to a 14-game winning streak and to the Warriors winning 31 of their last 33 games) get to ride in the parade, but they even had his own customized vehicle for him.
There hasn’t been this good of a mojo thing since Aubrey Huff’s Rally Thong in 2010. #RallyZito in 2012 was pretty good, too.
#RallyToaster
https://twitter.com/R_Dollaz/status/875396635844423680
Awesome!
Happy for the Warriors.
LOL! I think they were undefeated until game 4 since Klay signed the toaster. Good for the toaster guy!
Maybe the Warriors can get him season tix for next year; unless Toaster Guy is already one, bring the toaster to each home game for more mojo.
I heard the Toaster Guy can’t be resigned though. He’s going to demand too much money and won’t fit under the cap next year.
Cueto better start picking up the pace. If he continues to put up mediocre performances, his contract becomes a huge stumbling block to the idea of trading him. It would be much better if it was clear that he will be opting out of his deal.
Weird fantasy scenario: He stumbles the rest of the season, Giants don’t find a trade partner, and Cueto doesn’t opt out. Now, what if he just bounces back and has a great 2018? Suddenly the Giants have a far better asset, as they have 4 years of control over a pitcher who – at his worst – was not a bad pitcher.
Then they might be able to trade him in July of next year.
That’s what I’m saying, still trade him, but with more value and greater return. I still think there’s no way he doesn’t opt out, unless he gets REALLY bad or injured this year. Even then, an injury may be better in the long run for SF.
In order to opt out, he needs to be convinced that he could do better than a guaranteed $89 million over the next four years. The way he’s currently pitching, I’m not sure that’s a guaranteed.
He’s looking pretty horrendous this year. I sure wouldn’t paid him more than the Giants are committed to the next 3 years.
Duh. We’ve been saying since 2 minutes after the deal was signed.
If Theo Epstein were running the Giants, he’d be looking very closely at potential Bumgarner trades.
LOL. Epstein isn’t the idiot that assumes him to be.
I used to think you weren’t one, but I’ve reconsidered that idea. How many millions of dollars do you think the Giants should pay Bumgarner to pitch well into his 30s?
You can’t build a staff with a marshmellow at it’s core. If you look at your premise about Epstein, which was the issue, not an ad hominem toward me, you’ll see his choice of pitchers tends to be on the mature side. He spent money on pitchers, and saved it with young cheap talent. One might say, his strategy was the opposite of what you indicated. If you think something is sensible, you don’t need PR cover from an erroneous judgement about Theo Epstein.
His strategy has been to acquire young talent. Given the Giants’ roster, trading Bumgarner would be the best way to accomplish that. I’ll see if I can put it in graph form for you, since I know that looking at pretty pictures helps your comprehension.
Not among his pitching staff, for the most part. In any case, you have to demonstrate that the Giants front office can recognize useful young talent. The thesis you’ve drummed on for a while seems to be that they are wildly deficient in that skill, as well as their ability to develop that talent. TO you can’t have it both ways.
When drafting near the top, they did manage to choose Lincecum, Bumgarner and Posey.
You can list a much larger group of failures in drafts from the last 10 years. In any case, they’ll be trading for value from prospects. You keep harkening back to Epstein. His genius wasn’t his trade strategy at all, it was his uncanny ability to recognize value where others couldn’t, and then develop that talent to arguably its best outcome. He did that with the best prospect analytics analysis in baseball. The development system took him years to rebuild from ‘Cub stupid’ to what it is today. The Giants seem to walk away from that approach when bow tie left.
I miss Bow Tie — he was a great. I would also agree that the current Giants regime has done well when drafting in the top 10 — Wheeler was a good pick too before injuries derailed his career. But even he was used to make a big trade. Nobody likes the trade, but he was used to acquire a sought after player.
Even the old regime that was more hit or miss within the top 10 was able to find good players in the top 5 — Will Clark, Matt Williams and Jason Grilli.
Sure, if you draft high, you should get a better pool of players to pick from. There is certainly merit to that. My concern is that the Giants, when you divorce ‘high draft choice’ from the discussion, have no clear skill in picking winners or developing them. What Bow Tie was about, was stepping into ‘Epstein World’ and developing that skill in house with the Giants. I personally believe they walked away from a commitment to that strategy, and decided to hang with the traditional, Sabean approach. If you ever get really bored and can’t sleep, LOL, go look at that KATOH method at Fangraphs. As good as that is, it’s primitive to the detailed analysis Epstein does.
People are saying the Giants would never trade Posey. Probably true…unless Posey wanted to be traded. It’s entirely possible that he might not want to play for a team that’s not going to contend for the next 3-4 years.
I agree that Posey or Bumgarner approaching mgmt. about a trade is the only way either of them ever get traded.
You’re probably right, although I believe trading Bumgarner, assuming they could execute it competently, is the smartest move they could make.
He’s for sure their biggest asset due to his cost. Just look at the haul the White Sox got for Sale. I just can’t see this office ever even considering trading him.
The Giants may well not contend for 3 to 4 years but that worst scenario may not occur, especially if the Giants maintain the core, catch fire in a bottle in some star young players, make the team 25 deep in MLB players, and change management.
Less than 150 games ago, the Giants went into the all-star break with the best record in baseball.
The team began losing, management failed to adapt positively, and the players went into a malaise for some unclear reason.
Only one Giants pitcher than Bumgarner had a longer quality run in San Francisco than Bumgarner and that is Juan Marichal.
It is easier to rationally trade Bumgarner than Posey but both trades are extremely high risk, especially Posey.
That said, we don’t know yet whether Bumgarner will have impairment from his injury.
Exactly
but what’s the precedent for this? How many guys request trades because they are aware of rebuilding effort and that don’t want to be part of that in spite of 3 rings and 20 million dollars per year?
Because the effort can’t succeed unless they’re traded.
I could definitely see it happening, depending on how Posey views the Giants’ future. He’s already 30. Especially with as much success as he’s experienced, the idea of losing big throughout the remainder of his prime years might not seem very attractive. The present obviously sucks and the immediate future doesn’t look very exciting. He just saw them take high schoolers at the top of the draft. The unknown is the degree to which he enjoys living in the Bay Area.
Cle 11-4 LA in 7th.
Hey hey, my, my…
Dodgers need to go out and get another pitcher. Verlander? Sonny Gray?
BTW, are you watching? What do you think of my guy Zimmer? Should have taken him over Beede?
If you look at Brandon Crawford’s offensive numbers, they form an almost perfect arc, consistent with the idea that most athletes peak physically at around 28-29.
24….204/.288/.296/.584 3 HRs
25….248/.304/.349/.653 4 HRs
26….248/.311/.363/.674 9 HRs
27….246/.324/.389/.713 10 HRs
28….256/.321/.462/.783 21 HRs
29….275/.342/.430/.772 12 HRs
30….245/.293/.380/.673 4 HRs (this season)
And age 28 is traditionally defined as a player’s prime age. Berry interesting. Will have to do a similar chart for DRS because surely he must be losing a step. Thanks for charting the #’s
As a POSITION players prime age. Pitchers are normally later, relief pitchers in particular.
LOL. If you’d look at that data from which the ‘arc’ is constructed. That mean has a variance of about 3-4 years. Try again.
Starting in 2012, DRS: 12, 2, 8, 20, 19, -1
and UZR/150 starting in ’12: 10, 4.2, 1.2, 11.9, 22.1, 11.5
seems like a bunch of noise, but I do think it is safe to assume that Crawford’s best is behind. He was 5.8 WAR in 2016, and 4.5 in 2015. So far he’s at 0.8 this year.
He’s not built like Omar Vizquel, so I don’t think he’s going to have anywhere near the same staying power.
Exactly…he got, shall we say, chunky. He needs to slim down some.
He’s just a pretty guy, but he might have to cut his weight a bit to last as long as he can at SS.
For a Great Cause – http://www.juglifewater.com/
I think I may be increasing sliding into Oracle’s corner. If Bumgarner can demonstrate that he is back, healthy, and stronger, whether that is this year or next, Giants have to consider mega offers for the big fellah. That contract abuse of his had have left a bad taste in ownership’s mouth.
I can’t even to begin to dream of the prospect haul for an affordable strong Bum.
The “contract abuse” goes both ways. I’d say most players who had built his resume would’ve asked for a new deal. Hell, most agents would insist on it. So whatever bad taste is in the ownership’s mouth has to be alleviated by his WAY under market contract.
He sure showed them!
Word up, analysis of draft in Wild West>
San Francisco Giants
1-19) Heliot Ramos, OF, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
2-58) Jacob Gonzalez, 3B, Scottsdale, Arizona
3-96) Seth Corry, LHP, Highland, Utah
4-126) Garrett Cave, RHP, University of Tampa
5-156) Jason Bahr, RHP, University of Central Florida
6-186) Bryce Johnson, OF, Sam Houston State
ANALYSIS: All upside with the first three picks then a switch to traditional Giants
college draft picks who have a habit of turning out better than people
initially expect. Ramos has explosive offensive potential and could be a
terrific right fielder but needs to lock down his swing mechanics,
while Gonzalez is already a masher but has defensive issues. Corry needs
mechanical work but has impressive upside. Both Cave and Bahr could
advance quickly as dominant relievers, while Johnson has one carrying
tool (speed) and a good college track record. SLEEPERS: Rob Calabrese
(C, Illinois-Chicago, 10th round) and Orlando Garcia (SS, Texas Tech, 15th round). ANALYSIS: I think there is a nice balance here between early upside and stabilizing safety in later rounds.
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2017/6/15/15807700/2017-mlb-draft-national-league-western-division-review
Does ‘lock down’ mean develop some swing mechanics. He’s a from ground up rebuild. Be fair creating expectations for these young fellows.
You have absolutely no idea about any of these guys. None of us do. The only thing that anyone knows for sure is that very few of them will ever even reach the big leagues.
I have a data/information driven opinion. You may disagree, or I may be wrong, but how else do form an opinion, other than facts or data. How often have the Giants taken a young prospect and cultivated a maturation of his skills to be an above average MLB CF?
They rarely draft HS OF prospects early in the draft, so the sample size is too small to draw any meaningful conclusions about their ability to draft and develop an athletic HS OF. I can only think of a handful of the last 30 years — Adam Hyzdu, Tony Torcato (drafted for signability reasons — huge reach at the time), Arturo McDowell and Wendell Fairley and only one of those was in the last 10 years — in other words the current regime hasn’t even tried to develop a top level HS OF. There have been a couple of high-profile Int’l signings that have flamed out for other reasons — injury and/or legal troubles.
Baseball, in general, went away from HS drafting because they felt, mistakenly I think, that you could cull hard to recognize poor players using college athletics as the platform to do it. It saved them money and development in the early stage was off loaded to someone else.
Very well put. The NFL has in fact put player development 100% onto the universities.
It still seems a fairly good crap-shoot regarding what college players turn out to be valid MLB players. I guess I’m interpreting this draft as grab a toolsie player very early on, teach him with your own system’s coaches and theories, and hope that you plucked a superstar before it was obvious. It is also an interesting suggestion that the front office is not in a panic about rebuilding 1.5 to 2 years from now (not trying to say that is right or wrong, but that is what it looks like).
I’m glad Heliot Ramos has a unique enough name (at least to me) that I can remember to keep track of him through the minors.
He may turn out great, but he’s got a lot to learn. It’ll be interesting to see how coachable he is.
He is a relatively late first-round pick — expectations should be modest. 73% of 19th picks have made the majors, but only 6 of them have had a career WAR over 10. They need to hit on next year’s very high first round pick. If the season ended today they would pick 2nd.
When the Giants have picked 19th before the next pick has been pretty good:
— The year they took Eric Christopherson 19th the next pick was Mike Mussina.
— The year they took Tony Torcato 19th the next pick was CC Sabathia. By all accounts they had Sabathia rated higher, but they signed Torcato for second round money. He was a huge reach and a terrible pick.
— The year they took Terry Lee 19th the next pick was nobody but the 21st pick was Rick Sutcliffe.
The Giants are due to hit on a 19th pick. The scary thing is that the Mets took a highly rated pitcher with the 20th pick who slipped for some reason. Hopefully they are not burned again.
I’ll be sure to pass your advice along.
To whom?
All the best fake GM’s get all the draftee’s phone numbers downloaded to their cells, so I’m sure Footy is texting them like mad.
Mean but true, maybe.
They must not have gotten the memo that Calabrese is a career originizational minor league catcher.
As are almost all catchers selected in the 10th round.
so deep, he’ll put your ass to sleep
It makes absolutely zero sense to trade Bumgarner as part of a rebuilding process. He’s 27 years old. Assuming the Giants aim at contending in 3-4 years, he’ll still be the ace (or an ace) of the next Giants contender. 30-31 years old is not even slightly old for a pitcher. Why trade something as a part of a rebuilding process when you’re going to need him in the finished product anyway? Posey is a completely different story. He’ll be 33-34 and presumably not even playing catcher much. That’s very old for a position player to play a central role in a contending team, and they’re going to have to get a new catcher even if he stays.
Pitchers are about pitches thrown and Inning s pitched not age, Bum started young like Cain, and Cain’s last good year was his age 27 season .
And other pitchers weren’t throwing pitches at age 20? I think that may only be true of samardzija.
Because he becomes a free agent after the 2019 season. If he’s still pitching like Madison Bumgarner then, he’ll be extremely expensive as he starts his age 30 season, having already pitched in the big leagues for 10 years.
What makes him valuable, and what is the rarest commodity in baseball pitchers?
The ability to carry a team in the postseason. This is definitely not an ability which Posey has shown.
That’s a part of it, but not all. IMO, much like Pence, he brings a mind set you can build around. I’ll admit that people like TO seem to believe that a team is simply a sum of its parts, but I’m of the opinion that it’s synergy among those team members that drives a team to be what we’d call a winner. These emotional, attitudinal ingredients are what really makes ‘winners’. Also, it seems to me to be illogical to do as many do here seem to say, to denigrate the Giants ability to recognize and develop talent in one breath, and then campaign for the Giants to pick among prospects based on their talent to rebuild a team. Both can’t be true.
I agree but I think it’s non-coincidentally related to Bumgarner’s big performances in the postseason and Posey’s lack thereof. The prototypical example of this was Posey being thrown out at home trying to score from 1st on Sandoval’s double in the 9th inning of game 2 of the 2014 NLDS. You could just feel how Posey was overwhelmed by the moment and let it cloud his judgement. Posey’s an enormous talent but that’s all he is.
I have a much more generous POV about Posey, myself. He took a risk. Good ballplayers do that. I don’t think Posey’s major value is as a hitter, anyway, but that’s just my opinion. His catching talent alone adds 2-4 wins a year, all other things being equal.
He was trying to be a baserunning hero throughout the 2014 postseason. A man’s got to know his limitations, and if he doesn’t…
You seem to have a rock in your shoe about Posey. OK, but you’re trying to build a case against him that’s just a waste of time. Good luck with the windmill jousting tournament.
Jeepers. Posey seems like the smartest player out there, in just about all aspects of the game.
He is. It would be hard to name a smarter all around ballplayer than Posey. Different position, but maybe Utley is. Crawford’s a pretty smart ballplayer too.
That I don’t agree with. I think Crawford has incredible instincts but I don’t think he’s really smart.
That’s why they’re called opinions. 😉
It isn’t a matter of being technically smart. I’m talking about something else (and I think CC is also).
I think he followed the direction of his third base coach. “Overwhelmed by the moment”. Not.
Hmm…I remember quite a few clutch hits in 2010, his first season.
And the Giants are acting like they’re short of money?
Hey, in a mature attempt to find common ground and put your tough guy persona in the past, you started watching the current Fargo yet?
I’m about 5 episodes in. Very good and well worth watching, but not quite as good as the first two seasons, so far.
I’m actually enjoying it more but that may just be due to the fact I’m currently watching it. Thought last night that I need to go back and watch last season again. It’s a tough (as in difficult, not tough as in me) comparison since last season had such a huge cast and a lot more actors to shine.
They’re all good.
I’m in this line. I’m really into S3 (love that Thewlis is hamming it up on American TV) and think the cast is great. But I loved the cast just as much in the other two seasons and liked the story more. And season 2 meant Bokeem Woodbine finally got a great role that got attention. (Though I did think the character tie-ins between S1 and S2 were unnecessary)
Between this and Wonder Woman, Thewlis can do whatever he wants now. Which is great. Always liked him.
This is nice to see. You guys made my day. BTW, I think of both of you as “tough guys”.
I’m part “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, part Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka.
Plus, you are even harder to understand than Ryan is, at times like this.
What’s confusing you?
Absolutely everything in your “rowdy” post. But that’s OK, I’m culturally challenged. I think the only reason I know the name Kardashian is that it is unavoidable. I could not tell you, however, how many of them there are, which is exactly the way I want it. No need to explain yourself to me, but you have out-Footied Ryan with that one!
Couple of old wrestling legends. And by wrestling, l mean acting.
Ha! I do know the names Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair.
Snuka was amazing.
Piper was an actor, with the legendary They Live under his kilt. Snuka just acted like a man who was too confused to be tried for murdering his girlfriend.
Ah, forgot about that. Well, damn. Way to ruin my day.
They Live was great. It was up there with Robocop as a surprise.
I’m hear to chew bubble gum and kick ass…
… I am all out of bubble gum!
I’m all Junkyard Dog so watch which dogs you kick, Macho Man.
I don’t kick dogs but I’m gonna drop kick you.
From the top rope? Don’t make me pull out the camel clutch from my Sheikh bag of tricks.
I’ll pull out the slaughter from my Sgt. bag.
I’m not a tough guy.
How much you bench?
But come on, hand to hand combat, you gotta like your odds.
You’re hearkening back to Brownie, not TO.
I guess that would depend on who the opponent is. For example, I’d like my odds against the doctor who cried as he was dragged off the United flight. But no, not a tough guy, but not afraid, either.
I think absence of fear is good qualifier for “tough”. Pain threshold and physical endurance are also excellent qualifiers. The contestants on American Ninja Warrior are pretty tough – many of whom don’t have day jobs, but they’re pretty tough. I need to toughen up. Am out of any kind of workout routine, letting work substitute for exercise.
You really need to work on your pre-fight hype if we’re gonna sell any tickets.
The only SF Giants pitcher to have a longer term of excellence is than Bumgarner is Juan Marichal.
I share PJs concern of the amount of pitching in Bumgarner’s past, and until the dirt bike incident, the relative lack of injury.
That said I think it would be a major error to trade Bumgarner.
Buster has a ton of games left. He’s a catcher.
He wants to catch. If/when he goes to the HOF – it will be as a catcher.
Closed case.
Buster is a part time catcher. When he catches 140+ games in a season, then you can call him a catcher. In the meantime he is one of the most expensive part time players.
Totally. I heard when they announce him at the All Star Game it’s gonna be, “Starting at part-time catcher…”
LOL
Of all the dumb things you’ve said here, this one shoots to #1. With a bullet.
It’s hard to tell if you don’t understand baseball or you just don’t know how to think in general. Can you enlighten us?
Come on, JM. You’re way out of line with that comment. Show some respect and put away your superiority card.
That may certainly be true, but that isn’t the question JM is asking, I think. CU, you well know no case is ever closed. Joe Mauer is a good example of that.
CU doesn’t answer questions. He makes statements which he supposes to be answers to questions which he imagines that people are asking. Answering actual questions requires understanding. Happens with my weaker students. They don’t know the questions to the questions on the exam, so they answer other questions which aren’t on the exam.
He has his POV about baseball, others have theirs. He knows a lot about The Game. You can learn from him, I have.
I feel like I am chasing you around today, CC. Not a stalker, I promise!
There are a lot of people on this blog who are very smart about baseball. CU has shown me the way that a coach has to think about his team, and how the players have to think. The game includes so many ways to fail that you probably do have to play it thinking the next AB will surely be a HR (or a strikeout, from the mound’s point of view). CU is a good person to listen to, and again, so are many others here.
LOL. Stalk me all you want. Just don’t shoot me.
I would guess that CU is much more knowledgeable that I am about when to hold up runners and when to send them home. He appears to think that this ability (and other things like having been neighbors with Jim Davenport) make him generally knowledgeable about baseball so that there isn’t any need for him to learn anything or even know anything about analytical tools, or even to think logically for that matter. He should stick to what he knows about and leave discussion of more complicated matters to people who can handle them.
Pump the brakes.
Pop the clutch…
He thinks like a scout, not an analyst. FWIW, most smart analyst still contend they only cover about 60-70% of the reality of baseball, at best. And near term who plays, and remedial action is handled far better by scouts.
I sure hope the Giants’ scouts don’t think like that. And the fact that most analysts admit that they don’t understand a lot of baseball while most scouts don’t just shows that analysts are smarter and more knowledgeable than scouts. Scouts (as you portray) don’t even know what they don’t know and they’re too dumb to even realize it.
That’s not as true as you make it sound. A lot of guys are instinctive about what’s right in baseball. I think of it like an analog computer vs a digital computer. There is room for criticism on both sides. The good organizations shuffle them together under strong leadership from the GM’s office. IMO, the Giants don’t.
Scouts won us 3 world series titles…there you go with your moral superiority crap again.
Come into any dugout with me during an actual pregame – ground rules – game and post game. This includes field prep and post game prep. The entire game is played without one verbal reference to saber metrics. Wotus doesn’t turn to Bochy and say “this guy is 8 for 40 against Billy Smith” Every games game play at the ML level is Xeroxed and in two binders on the dugout railing – one offense and one defense. The jargon used is baseball speech. The plan their work and try to work their plan. They know that most teams win and lose 60 games and they try to be competitive and win during the last 42. There is bodily functions – dugout aroma’s – cursing – encouragement etc within every dugout. What there is NOT – there are zero expressions of “don’t do that” or “don’t throw the pitch there” – or – “don’t let him get extended”. One game out of 162 is very hard to win let alone going 100-62.
Negative convo breeds negative results. Lasorda went to the mound infamously and told Tom Niedenfuer to “not let Jack Clark get his arms extended”. That is all Niedenfuer dwelled on and he threw very hard – the ball flattened out and Clark hit his first pitch over the the Dodgers left fielders head and into the stands. Clark famously looked into the Dodger dugout at Lasorda.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCG5krQPyXQ
The invitation is open ended.
Nice try Professor.
Your’e from an outstanding family of professors of a a myriad of subject matters where there are more finite answers in the classroom. Baseball is a game played by kids on fields with various dimensions. Kids and adult players all come in various sizes. Altuve hits the ball like Frank Thomas due to “bat speed”. Bat Speed save one or two people cannot be taught. You have it or you don’t. Baseball is played by whirling dervishes or plodding large men like Frank Howard.
Baseball may have two situations a like but the outcome will be different.You can hit the ball on the proverbial button and it can be caught in a magnificent attempt by a fielder. A pitcher can make a perfect pitch and a hitter like Aoki can wrench his body out of the way and flail successfully – but – the ball landing fairly down either line for a game winning hit,
Real baseball is not like a video game
LOL, my students too.
ClutchUp knows more about baseball and the dynamics of teams, rosters, talent evaluation and analysis than any of us…you called him “stupid” the other day, which is rich coming from anyone, let alone you. I’m sure you won’t apologize, but because he tried to explain his point, and you disagreed, you told him he had “no facts” and was stupid.
Not sure why your strafing the joint with your ‘tude.
Wear that professor patch. That’s fine. But no need to denigrate a professor of baseball
Giants PreGame Notes vs. ROX
http://mlb.mlb.com/documents/7/4/6/236655746/06.15.17_at_COL_Game_Notes_39wqlnas.pdf
Oh, man. Those Golden Comments just friggin’ slayed me.
I think we are all going to be fighting over those lucky shoes.
I’m going to go fetch an iced coffee down stairs (covfice-ice).
I will toast to divergent opinions, novel ideas and approaches, the paths less traveled by, and the ingenuity that lies in those woods. Here’s to my man in Beirut, Riyadh, Constantinople, or Budapest, where you may be, John Myhill.
Tel Aviv.
I was in the right ballpark! But not the right league if that makes any sense. Well you tell Aviv I said hi and may your city remain safe and secure.
TWG seems pretty radical today. I think you collectively have tried to trade Cueto and Posey and Nunez and Bumgarner and Belt. Did I leave anyone out? I’m not sure I saw Crawford or Panik’s name today. I know Melancon got frequent mentions in recent days.
It seems clear the front office is not that radical. They do of course play it very close to the vest when it comes to trades or free agent signings. So they might be thinking about some of that. But as far as I know, Gorkys Hernandez and Aaron Hill are still on the roster, so they might be a lot further away from “blow up the whole team” than y’all.
And I think I have to agree with the idea of needing to plug a few holes each year with players from the minors, or judiciously chosen free agents. Teams that send away their big stars with good years left in their careers seem to enter constant rebuilding mode, always dealing away players who come near the end of arbitration. I am usually impressed with STL, which seemingly has a replacement available after an injury, or when someone gets older. So I want to keep Posey and Bumgarner and Panik and Crawford, probably Melancon too paired with Will Smith. Cueto and Moore and Nunez seem like the best talent to offer in trade, while being less crucial to the team’s DNA. Part of this is that I like pulling for the guys who’ve been the center of the team, and part ’cause I’m still shocked about the Duffy trade.
Belt is always the divisive name to bring up. Maybe I should keep my lip zipped as to whether or not he should be offered in trades?
(sorry about the long screed)
If the front office doesn’t do something pretty radical, we’re going to be screwed for a loooong time. I’m sure they are farther away from doing something radical than we are, but I’m also sure they should get there before too much longer if they want to save the team from a very very long period of being non-competitive.
I think the Giants should let Pences contract expire and go guns a blazing fully loaded for Harper. They should then also extend Strickland and put their lockers next to each other and make em bunk in the same rooms on road trips.
Great article from Matt Stairs on hitting. He’s taken the reins at Philly to try and make some sense of that mess.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/matt-stairs-on-the-abcs-of-hitting-the-b-is-bad/
Here’s an example of political corectness gone crazy. A 15 year-old Connecticut boy, who identifies as a girl but hasn’t undergone surgery or even hormone therapy, is allowed to compete as a girl and wins two state track championships. I wish he could be a girl, if that’s what he wants, but penalizing the actual girls to support one person’s desire is just wrong.
https://www.google.com/amp/usatodayhss.com/2017/connecticut-transgender-sprinter-andraya-yearwood-wins-two-state-titles-amidst-controversy/amp
Now you see what I mean about society unraveling. Okay, this isn’t the end of the world, but just instance of the frayed fabric of norms. And it did not start this past November. These wheels been in motion, even before that Obama guy.
But hasn’t that always been the view of many? Yet the world continues. Think about WWII. Nothing happening today can compare to that, but we’re still here.
Entropy, chaos. Also at work. A great deal of energy required to keep those forces at bay. And WWII is an example of that – restructuring of the world order. Something similar in process now, but the stakes get higher and the resources scarcer. Many people won’t be here tomorrow because of the unrest and terror where they live – their life a warzone, their life within famine and disease and a short life to be.
The touchy-feely part of our society has tipped the scales away from common sense.
This one was a doozy also http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3740682/Should-runner-allowed-win-gold-woman-Tipped-win-800m-no-ovaries-nearly-testosterone-man-sparked-huge-ethical-debate.html
“touch-feely” isn’t what I had in mind. It’s more of sense of entitlement. I’m entitle to a D! or a V! Or bigger bOObs ! Nevermind that some people are born without limbs or properly functioning organs or drug addled parents or born in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It all starts with each set of parents being younger than the last generational set and pretty soon parents are their kids best friends and everybody gets a back rub, a trophy and a ribbon. “Oh OK honey, so you’re a nice looking 9 yr old boy, but now you wanna be a nice looking girl and maybe even run track”…. “OK, dad and I will spend 750K to have the surgery done”…
To quote a teacher of mine, “If my aunt had balls, she’d be my uncle”
Well Lon, that’s right.
the type of social structures we evolved from and lived within for thousands of years resemble nothing of this crazy massive consumptive society.
Our time in the petri dish doesn’t last forever, Lon. Ahhh the good ol days.
At least you’ll be better situated than most when the zombies come, assuming you’re armed.
run to the hills,
run for your life
A white man came across the sea!!
I know that’s a comforting narrative, but parents, on average, are substantially older than the good ole days.
Not mentally…think about the life lessons people learned by age 20 back in 1932 versus now…age is relative. Maturity is relevant
But that’s not the narrative that was being pushed. IMO, it’s the onset of guru’ism where people like de Voss suddenly think they know something about education. As I look back, IMO, it began with the decline of the PTA as a direct contact of parents to teachers.
DeVos has literally nothing to do without this trend
She is a world class example of a long term trend. She’s not unique, or even terribly original.
Is everything a right wing conspiracy , and all bad things are caused by ugly Republicans? You totally lose me with these comments. What TO brought up is as left wing PC as it gets, yet you found a way to somehow connect it to DeVos???
I didn’t say a thing about right wing, there have been plenty of liberal guru’s playing make believe over the years as well. It’s not a matter of politics. It’s, IMO, a matter of cult like devotion to a POV regardless of the facts and data.
Then. Ring up Arne Duncan instead of someone 5 months into the job. I’m just saying…and I think you know exactly what you meant bringing just her name up.
DeVoss has been the apostle of her cult for some time. Arne Duncan seemed an idiot to me. For christ sake, don’t be so damn defensive. You’re like a fellow cultivating a pair of stigmata. DeVoss is going to monetize education, Duncan’s going to stultify it.
CC, I’m not “defensive”… I’m just telling you that every social issue brought up on here, you tie to your Republican target of the day. The day you link an article or tie stupidity in your original post to someone on the left, I’ll never call you out again.
Plus, for the endless onslaught on here from many others as well, push back should be understood from my “side”
LOL. Whatever.
I really have not found that to be true. Maybe I am talking about the fact that the current mom/dad – parents of kids playing sports have bad memories because THEIR parents use to use phrases like “finish what you start”. “Do what your coach tells you to do”. “NO complaining”. “She is your coach, we are your parents”.
Sorry, but the number are what they are. Look it up. CU, it’s never, ever that simple, IMO.
I will not sit here quietly while you dare to denigrate bigger boobs.
wouldn’t you prefer they keep it real ?
SAE Brothers at SJ State Motto: “Anything more than a handful, was a waste of time”
Shit is slap-crazy upside down.
Just saw an incredibly lithesome beautiful woman head into the ladies locker room at Club Sport here on Olympic Blvd.
It has convinced me to self identify as a woman so I can go shower with her.
Don’t tell Beauty
You’ll need this. https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/butt-plug-fidget-spinner/
Good video footage https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2017/6/15/15804216/sf-giants-minor-lines-6-14-17-matt-krook-steps-it-up
ROX Pre game Notes http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/documents/1/8/6/236694186/6.15.17_vs._SF_qz8v8rsk.pdf
This Date in Giants History: June 15, 1963 – Juan Marichal pitched a 1-0 no-hitter against the Houston Colt .45’s…it marked the first Giants no-hitter since Carl Hubbell pitched one in 1929.
http://mlb.mlb.com/documents/7/4/6/236655746/06.15.17_at_COL_Game_Notes_39wqlnas.pdf
And it’s Timmy’s birthday too!
My first game ever at candlestick. Can barely remember the smell of cigar smoke and the pitcher had a crazy super high leg kick. That’s all I got.
Pirates – Rox game the other day
Catcher Tiff Clears Benches in Rockies-Pirates Game
http://www.closecallsports.com/2017/06/catcher-tiff-clears-benches-in-rockies.html
Just got to the room in Santa Monica and see Myhneyball has wiped out the roster and ClutchUp was banished to A Ball so that the accountants can make all relevant decisions based off line drive %. I hope Buster enjoys 3rd base in Minnesota
I just woke up under a book titled “Cast Out Nines” – written by the Holy Name Nuns who taught addition and subtraction.
What I really really need is for Eleuthero to show up so that one Math Dude can duke it out with the most recent Math Dude.
Can’t you see Bobby Cox – Bochy – Earl Weaver heading up Wallys way to see Billy Martin and Don Zimmer and they all have several bottles of Armagnac among the five of them. Subject matter: Infinite and Finite Math in the Major League Dugout
I think we found his marshmallow salesman
I think Lasorda might be the next one to join Earl, Billy and Don. Tommy didn’t look so good at the last Dodgers old timers game. I think he’s 89 years old. Not wishing him ill will, just sayin’.
Time in Israel is 2:30 AM – Friday, June 16, 2017 (GMT+3)
When we gettin a drink?
‘Sup? You free tomorrow around 11am or so?
Do you want to borrow the gondola?
Stop pimpin’ me out.
Golfin. Sat? Sun? Mon?
Tough life…heading back up tomorrow afternoon..I’ll give you better warning next time.
Ok
I’ll sneak up on you. Might tail you to work and pose as weird guy at bar or perhaps hot chick that keeps getting free drinks.
It’s all good, the Backstreet Boys will be taking the field tonight…
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVYPlGbgiOO/?taken-by=sfgiants&hl=en
Shadow hitters.
Backslide Boys
OuttaSync
I wonder what the draft workup by the Dodgers on Belinger was for him to have lasted until the 4th round?
Just having smarter people than the Giants FO
Draymond Green is incorrigible.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/06/15/petty-revenge-draymond-greens-quickie-t-shirt-was-for-lebron-james/?hpid=hp_hp-cards_hp-card-sports%3Ahomepage%2Fcard
LeBron IS petty, huh?!
Power of delusional thinking
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/730259482bd6eea6a216827a4ccd5f8defca190d9a0efe41303320d3193672a3.jpg
We’re definitely in something, Surf!
15 game winning streak starts now
Love the shirt!
The bun?
I think it is safe to say our record at the seasons end will be better than that of the 1962 Mets. No need to worry about records of futility.
2013, #rockbottom, 76-86. Aspirational, IMHO.
Feliz Cumpleanos Eduardo Nunez!
I’m so tired of Span’s game. We have another season and a half of this…
Pence too as awful as he is.
You look at strikes you can hit and swing at balls you can’t hit. Awesome plan.
Great start. I’m sooo happy.
GG is issuing blindfolds to watch Moore pitch in Coors
Are you visiting Atlanta next week? If yes, look me up. GG has my info.
Unfortunately no– Im having shoulder surgery instead. Less painful than watching the Giants
Ouch. Hang in there, buddy.
For an additional fee, batting helmets and cigarettes are available upon request
Moore with the 2 pitch shutout
Now they’re beating themselves..
Twas ever thus.
Now?
Yeah, now it looks like they expect to lose.
Been that way for weeks
In the first inning though?
Blackman’s AB is a microcosm of the Gisnts season
This is not fun any more.
This could be out of reach by the third.
Prosaic.
Butt ass ugly is very rarely ever fun.
Moore won’t last 2 innings.
Will he even get an out?
I take it things haven’t started well?
All hat, no cattle.
Here’s a way to look at it: Arenado was held to a double.
Glad I can’t see Moore’s blank and confused emoji face right now 😐
Over/Under on how many runs before an out is recorded?
My begord has no fun these days
They just want to settle the outcome so we can look at skills and technique with minimal pressure.
It’s as if the starters don’t know when the game, so routinely unprepared for the first inning as they are..there no limit on warm up before the game …it’s another sign of mental checkout. They don’t care
Five. Story makes the first out.
We were wrong– only 3
I thought you meant batters, not runs.
Under over before an out is 5
E-5
The Phillies are staying even with Sale and the Red Sox. #embracethedisgrace
#likegettingsprayedinthefacewithacanofmace
Slam the door shut, Matty Mo.
Just not on anybody’s fingers!
Buster’s not having a very good inning
I imagine has had about enough of this year already too
Well the floodgates opened with his error. Inning would’ve been much more different starting with 1 out. I’ll just say that
and nunez should’ve had his grounder
Yeah, they’re just beating themselves….
Groundhog day 2017.
Given the choices, I liked the Giants starting line up today.
Exactly. It’s the best they got, and it’s a very logical lineup considering what they got.
At this point, who gives a flying #$#$
You should, no excuses the A lineup, with a hot hitting LF, in what Krukow says is a live ball park, so should score lots of runs, you would think .
See my comment above. Maybe we will get something going here tonight.
I did see it, and the Giants roster makes a small park look big .
Most of us probably did the eye roll when Kruk started defending Moore, but it’s true. Some of those hits could have been outs. Let’s see if the yard can play small for us as well.
That was not the case yesterday at home in a day game with no wind, the Royals made it look small not the Giants .
Today’s a different day, so…maybe.
Can’t get the Giants broadcast so I’m stuck with the Rox cast.
Following games strictly by TWG is quite entertaining. Thank you.
Your welcome
I kind of feel sorry for the dedicated Giant fans of TWG.
Such disappointment.
I watched the game for 5 Rockies Batters, no outs later I switched to the blog, I was bad luck .
No way this is on you, PJ…
I followed the game on the blog for a while in one of the KC games and was happy to see that Slater had hit a home run only to see later in the box score that it was just an RBI single. TWG play by play is not perfect.
Wonder if the Giants sent any scouts to the Republican/Democrat congressional game?
I hear the dems have the best prospect, head and shoulders best on the field, and also from Louisiana as the rep who was shot.
Probably a lot of players stealing signs in that game.
Take some nice swings and go home. You’re not ready to compete boys
Moore is due. Com’on.
wow
Anybody with a bat in the box at the MLB level is a threat. They pitched around Moore. Who woulda thunked it.
makes sense…span
Please type “Span is due” next!
Span is way over due. But he swings at pitches he can’t hit sometimes.
Nice AB, Moore. Atta-babe!
best AB of the year. by anyone
That is a tough break. Damn.
Blooper like that it’s all luck, one way or the other. Line drives = less luck.
Noticed Span didn’t run up the line on that liner.
Great play
some catch
That would happen to Span. Amazing play by Story
pitiful
this team is so hard to watch
So that’s a hit!?
Giants D doing Moore NONE favors.
Ever since Hunter Pence got serious in his relationship he’s gone downhill seems like
Nope, he was dating her in 2014 .
Really, slik? Wow.
I said seems like it has went downhill
I’m out y’all, this is getting to be too much for me. They are giving away outs and literally just beating themselves today.
Moore throw anything but fastball?
He’s throwing hits (and errors).
Maybe Moore should be ticked off when the inning starts.
Moore career at Coors 13.1 innings 30 hits 23 runs.
Whoa. That’s telling.
Coming into this game, Moore’s ERA at Coors was over 12.
Makes me feel nostalgic for Zito.
and so it goes.
Groundhog inning.
Suede Goats.
This team is totally lost totally with a capital T
So, Iike “losT”?
Yep
I have no sort of numbers to back this up, but it sure seems like teams play peak defense against the Giants. That diving catch on Span’s liner with the bases loaded seems like one of several big catches at the worst possible moment, I’m sure Statcast can figure out data as to what teams have been affected most by great opposing defense. But it certainly seems like when I’m watching MLB Network and seeing plays of the day, there’s often a big one against SF. Total eye test, selective memory statement from me…but damn it seems like that.
I’ve thought the same thing about that other teams playing great defense against the Giants
Determined to beat the former Champs
A buddy of mine has been saying that since the Candlestick days. Some guy on the opposing team always seems to make a career catch against the Giants.
have a day buster
Maybe he reads TWG and is worried about being traded?
Evans said he needed to talk to him sometime soon?
good lord is this a bad team : ( — wonder if bum, posey, craw etc have ever been on a team that plays so poorly — I really think bochy should retire and let wotus manage – we’ve been thru almost an entire year of this bad baseball under the boch and he seems to have no answers for what ails them
The Phillies beat Sale and the Red Sox. #embracethe disgrace
How’d Joseph do?
1 for 3. Phillies win 1-0.
Let Moore pitch 9.
Analyst have determined that the HR fest of the last couple of years is related most likely to seam flattening on the baseball most likely introduced when the manufacturing site of MLB baseballs was moved. Although they don’t comment, I suspect it also affects the movement of pitches, making them more hittable.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/it-looks-like-the-baseball-is-behind-mlbs-power-surge/
Sounds plausible. Why are averages down?
The Giants did not get the memo !
The Brandons aren’t hitting, and it’s killing us.
Which is having the worse year?
I think Belt. He’s MyGuy big time, but far too many strikeouts and ground balls to the right side.
His k rate is actually better than past. But not a hitterish swing
Crawford by far, and if you look at Crawford’ s history he strikesout almost as much .
Should have let the arb years play out.
For Belt yes. Locking down gg SS makes sense
Once they did Crawford, they felt obliged to do Belt.
Can’t leave him out of fun. Mad bum got hosed. Panik screwed too.
Bum certainly hosed them back didn’t he? No reason to see him this year
Panik got called 3 years later, Bum signed his extension in 2012 .
Bumgarner made his choice. If he got hosed, he did it to himself.
Yeah but he’s entitled to a huge contract for those trophies. Or he was.
He’s not entitled to anything more than what both sides agreed to. The Giants aren’t entitled to a refund from Matt Cain.
Yeah butt Giants reward their guys. Don’t play it smart. They rewarded Cain
I think they believed Cain would continue to pitch well.
Nope, and in 2012 he was 1-2 in the post season .
Probably some of that.
Hindsight is 20/20. But yeah, I was surprised they didn’t wait another year on BB9.
They batted 7th and 8th until recent years, Giants expecting to much from them, and paid them as middle the order hitters, so that is a big problem .
Both of them have been ranked in MLB Network’s Top 100 Right Now the last two years. Both have given us strong offensive production, just not this year.
Great Father’s Day ad for Gillette.
Oh hey we’re still at the top of the 3rd inning.
That was classy of Blackmon to not try for the inside-the-park-HR.
I think we have our answer. Have Strickland pitch the rest of the game. Get your money’s worth.
On radio the boys are talking about Bruce Bochy using a non picture to relieve tonight instead of blowing up his bullpen what a sad sad season
A non-pitcher might not be physically safe.
If that’s real, Belt will lobby for it. I hope Bochy says no.
Hard to make the case he started a pitcher
Just checked the stats….Moore has a Bondsian 7.0 WHIP?
Wow, that’s Bonds-ian. But Dyson topped that, after his debut for the Giants on Sunday, both his ERA and WHIP were infinity. BTW, I think it’s cruel of MLB to list those 2 stats at infinity, might hurt a guy’s self-esteem. They should instead list some really high number like 99.99.
Matt Moore’s ERA is now over 6…in mid June. He’s really having that breakout year.
He needs to try ProActiv
Maybe he will learn to use his other piches this year.
He better for his own sake and the sake of the Giants in future years.
These Southwest commercials make me actually not want to take Southwest.
Can’t fly United either. Grounded.
Yeah. My last trip I had to go with AA.
The best experience I’ve had has been with Turkish Airlines. They treat everyone like first class passengers.
That’s their dictators motto too!
Mr. Lefty got stranded by AA in Dallas on Tuesday night. Had to stay over and didn’t get home until 4 pm the next day, missing an all-day class he was supposed to teach at UCD.
Flew to Sac from Boston on Jet Blue. Enough leg room for my 6′ 4 ” son in coach.
I like Hawaiian Air the best. I suppose the destination plays a big part of that evaluation but the airline is pretty good.
Oh, my son is a pilot for SkyWest Airlines so I like that one too.
Couldn’t agree more. They are some of the most annoying commercials on air…and that’s really saying something.
Which Rocky will have most RBIs tonight?
Opening day for Salem-Keiser today.
https://www.milb.com/volcanoes/news/salem-kezier-announces-roster/c-236699258/t-196097402
Thanks for the post, wasn’t aware that today is their opening day. Some good info there: new manager is Jolbert Cabrera from Colombia, former hitting instructor in the Reds organization, managed the Colombia WBC team, signed by the Montreal Expos in 1990. As for players, the article says the standouts for the Volcanoes are Malique Ziegler (CF), Stetson Woods (RHP) and Kevin Rivera (2B). They’ll have 15 returning players and 10 new ones. Is it a bad sign for a player to be returning in the rookie league?
Double Play…
Well, at least he only made one out.
The ONLY thing that is going well for the Giants right now is that Austin Slater keeps hitting.
Like I posted earlier no excuses for the Giants offense, all the regulars and a hot hitter in LF .
Would you put them into a different order? Seems like lots of guys are getting stranded. I am darned if I know how I’d scramble the order up, though.
Now we just need 7-8 more Austin Slater types.
Seven LOB in last three innings. Sigh.
Yesterdays game very similar, 11 runners LOB, 2 for 10 with RISP, Posey, Crawford and Belt all 0 for 2 with RISP .
Allen would have loved to have seen that beautiful red-tailed hawk perched at the top of Coors! 🙂
I still go over to his website and watch the film show and music.
and all the great herons who are hanging out this spring in GGPark : )
I am moving over to the radio. Can’t watch this bad boring ball team any more. The troubling thing is that the Giants don’t seem to have any way to stop this slide
You gotta come back to TV for Slater’s ABs!
dave + kuip work hard to at least make it interesting even through all this bad baseball
LaMahieu with a rather weak pop-up dance. Russian judge gives him a 7.6
Bedtime in the east. Good night, y’all.
Agreed.
I am off soon too.
The unhackable internet. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jun/15/scientists-make-quantum-leap-towards-a-secure-new-kind-of-internet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE0vfDbS1H8
Mark Reynolds is exactly the type of pick up this team should have made AFTER trading Belt this past season.
Reynolds makes 2.6M.
Belt is a joke at his contract worth. Belt represents everything wrong with this boring team.
Oh God, my wife is watching a replay of the parade, I think my head might explode, Fallon Smith is spending the entire time yelling at the microphone. She sounds like Kathy Griffin on the New Years eve show on CNN. The only thing more unbearable is watching Span take an at bat. At least I’ve learned that my personal preference is to have my head explode rather than be put in to a coma.
I think Moore deserved to finish the game himself.
Blackmon has a mullet? Taking bad hair to a new level.
This bullshit is a team effort. To have this kind of effin talent, and a pretty high cost to boot, and to be this bad has to be a team effort. You have to be good to be this bad. Slater ain’t havin none of it. But the rest? WTF. I said this team looked like they mailed it in after the first series with AZ. Wasn’t my intention to piss people off but something didn’t look right. They looked tired and uninterested. Now? How the f*** can you look this bad with this kind of payroll has to be a team effort. Absolute bull****. At least fight. And as big of a Boch fan as I am, the good man is detached.
The manager and many of the key players are fat and happy, way over signed, and way underperforming. I saw Crawford strike out for the third time in a game a few weeks ago and it looked like he didn’t have a care in the world, heading back to the dugout to check his phone and see the next cute kid pics his cute wife posted on snap gram or whatever. The team has no fire whatsoever.
They show a lot of bad habits at the plate too. Swinging at pitches they can’t hit and looking at a lot of strikes.
Bochy just doesn’t handle losing well. He’s too tentative & afraid to try out new lineups or shuffle things up and just sticks to his old principles whether they’re working or not.
What really strikes me about this season is not just the many losses but also the high scores of the opponents (without looking at any stats). They are not just losing 4:2, 2:1, 3:2 but the opponents have 7, 8, 9 runs wheras the Giants have 1, 2, 3. I feel this is just so non typical for the Giants.
Crap, now Nunez is hurt! 🙁
Oh for fudge’s sake
And Posey is gimpy too! :(:(:(
Is Buster hurt? Oh no..
Oh shizzle.
Anybody want 3rd?
definitely favoring THE ankle when he was walking down steps into clubhouse — crap : (
Alright, it’s drinky time.
I’ve wanted to blow up Coors for years, and nights like tonight is why!
So, now the Giants are hitting and disintegrating simultaneously.
Well, I’m glad the Giants aren’t playing at home on my birthday next week so I won’t have to end the day being depressed.
I’ll be depressed when I go on the 28th! I’m primarily going because I wanted my pic made with the three WS trophies, so at this rate my friend and I may just turn around after that and go back home!
Did Story kick that ball to LaMehieu?
First hit ball goes to Slater. .
Close. But Gorkys works.
No cigar.
There it is. 1-2 punch.
Just when you thought it couldnt get worse. Those of you who wanted to see the minors leaguers are about to get your wish
Looks like his back to me
Pretty smooth play by Slater at third
It’s like the Giants never stretch and hydrate enough in this blankety-blank place!
I hate Coors Field
They need to drink beet juice in high altitudes. The effin dietician should know this.
Really? I had to look up the box score on ESPN to see that Posey hit a homer? What’s up with you people?
He injured himself on that HR swing and is out of the game. Quickly tempered our enthusiasm
Oh, bummer, didn’t know that. It’s okay though, they have a lot of extra catchers to choose from.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/06/15/buster-posey-injures-himself-on-a-home-run-swing/
Unfortunately, used up both infielders pinch hitting. Knowing Bruce, he’ll wait and see on both Posey and Nunez, Strickland will have to start serving his suspension and the team will be 3 players down tomorrow.
Yes. Lots of MVP catchers in the system to call from.
He injured himself. Not sure if back or ankle.
Posey. Sore ankle.
If Blach launches one to make it 9-7, it’s officially Twilight Zone time!
Single, not bad.
Blachbuster
Giants are now outhitting the Rockies 14-13
Finally showing some guts
Gorkys has 2 runs after pinch running for Nunez. How about that
Too bad Blach can’t hit again in the ninth
Maybe he can hit again in this inning.
Good idea
Rockies “wave” started the Giants rally. Might as well use Melancon. Hasnt had much action
Wait what???!!! I am out doing bed time, come back to see the score thinking things are looking up and then I hear about all the injuries and Slater playing 3rd base! This is just what this season needs.
well how about that!
Nice. Atta babe Craw.
It’s really funny to me how it takes 2 injuries to a team to get them to play with some sense of urgency
How are they playing with urgency?
Season on the line.
What evidence indicates that they are playing with urgency?
Effin’ Crawford!! Gotta like that.
Alrighty now we got a game
3 HRs for the Giants and none for the Rockies. So weird
It is Coors field after all. As much as we hate it…sometimes it plays into our advantage too. But I still hate it. And we have 3 more of those. 4 in a row are just cruel!
Win it for Posey!
Did ya see that graphic? 1 3run HR by a Giant this year. A Maze Ing
Get a shutdown inning when it matters
Morris got squeezed on that 1-1 pitch.
Was that the same ankle that Posey broke in 2011?
That was his left leg. Which one tonight?
left
Weird that after five years with no serious problems he’d suddenly injure it like that. Altitude?
Scary.
Didn’t see anything wrong in his swing honestly.
He ALWAYS has a grimace on his face on his power swing, but he was hardly putting any weight on his left ankle when he was walking down the steps.
The report says it’s day to day so hopefully it’s nothing serious
No one can possibly know that at this time
Osich is quietly having a nice bounceback season.
Agreed — looks good when he throws strikes
Now I am criticizing Bochy. Melancon should be pitching here — not that he has been a stud, but after a 7 run comeback a shutdown inning is critical.
Slater playing third in a one run game is no longer funny
This game is reminding me of the spring training game I attended against the Cubs. We came from behind with like 3 homers in a row in the 8th or 9th inning and beat the Cubs after most of their fans had already left early assuming they’d taken the win.
What happened to these guys?
Well if there ever could be a momentum swing, there it is.
Nice Morris, now let’s win this for Buster so his ankle feels better.
What about so I feel better?
What about so ALL of us feel better? It’s been a rough game
Season
Be nice to see Bud Black lose it with a Giants win.
I’m watching the Rox broadcast and the announcers keep saying how mad Black is with the pitchers.
Slater is so awesome.
” The kid stays in the picture”
What will we say when they trade him?
Later, Slater
Is this game not on NBCSBA? Can’t find it here in Nashville
Try the Rockies broadcast.
I wanted to stream it on the NBC app but it’s not listed
This is the second time in a week I haven’t been able to get the game on TV. What the heck is up with NBC Sports Bay Area? Is something screwed up with my DirectTV package, or is the game really not on?
KNTV
it’s on regular NBC.
Not on DirecrtTV – they are showing “Love Connection” whatever the heck that is.
Nevermind – operator error. Guide was showing something different than what was actually on, so it wasn’t searchable.
I got it on 31!
NBC Bay Area has 14 games this season, but they usually space them out a little more!
Gorkys time
Come on Gorkys. AB of the season
Atta babe Span. Com’on Gorkys!!!!!
SQUEEZE
He can’t bunt either
SQUEEZE PLEASE
Too bad they already burned Blach
What does Slater have to do to move up in the lineup?
What difference does it make
SAFE MOFOS
Atta babe Gorkys.
WTF Span? You idiot!!
he just wanted to steal just now instead.
SMH. All you ladies
And Span doesn’t move up, unbelievable! 🙁
Great AB
How? It was terrible, salvaged by getting his bat on the ball.
Unfreaking believable
Slater can really run. Guy me impresses me more everyday.
3 inches from being 5 for 5.
Two of the hits were infield
The 405 avg impresses, albeit in a very small sample size
Ya it’s a helluva start. But even after he regresses he looks like he has the potential to be the solution to the LF black hole.
He’s hitting .405
Span redeemed himself!
First blown save versus Holland– Giants also caused the first blown save versus Davis earier in the month
Span just wanted to be able to add it to his stats as a steal.
SMH. Terrible baseball
Man the change in the intentional walk rule threw me off there. Thought something was wrong with the graphic
Squeeze
So the Rockies are officially Slater Haters, right?
Atleast HOLLAND is . He should be embarrassed aboit GH
I’m obviously just coming in, but why are our starting pitchers hitting off the bench?
Everyone and their mom is injured
Nunez has an harmstring injury, Posey has a sore ankle, Hill and Kelby already PH, Slater is playing 3rd base, Blach PH and actually got a hit…interesting game to say the least. Gians came back from 8:1.
He’s freaking safe
He’s safe
Ump is blocking all of the angles!!
He needs to be skinnier!
Isn’t a gut and wide span a requirement to become an ump?
SAFE. That look shows it.
He got in
Safe!!
He’s clearly safe. Horrible tag.
Are you fucking kidding
Knew it
“incontrovertible proof”
There was!
Oh well — Top5Pick
Span the consumate Pro – not
He was safe,!!!
Absolutely not. Clearly out
New angle shows he was out.
Yup
His initial hesitation cost him.
Yep. If you hesitate, go back.
Pitcher up, worth the risk, almost made it.
The Umpires are going to protect umpires , he tagged the wrong leg , he was safe !!
That’s too bad.
does Samardzija lead off the next inning? if there is one
No– Strickland replaced him
So Cain is the next best hitting pitcher? He’s sucked for years.
They also lose Samardzija as a pinch hitter
Cain can hit.
No he can not
Who you gonna bat?
Not gonna matter.
Cueto .
Hopefully has to pitch also
Don’t think Belt will get to pitch even with extras this time. Then again Strickland might be giving us his parting shot tonight.
Shouldn’t he be first up in the 10th. He wasn’t out.
He was replaced by Strickland
But it’s Busters spot. Oh hell, doesn’t matter.
Double switch earlier.
Finally got it, thanks.
Damn you Strickland. GTFO
Bochy’s fault !
I still want Strickland to GTFO
Dang it.
Bochy trying to save his bullpen instead of win a game, Strickland has pitched now 3 days in a row !
Why wasn’t Melancon in?
Because Bruce hates us.
To be honest I don’t have much faith in him but he’s been sitting on his arse.
Bochy wants to ave his bullpen and use up Strickland before his suspension, just stupid .
Where’s Melancon
Bochy by the book always, closer not in in a tie game on the road!
No surprise there
of course
Sheesh, would they PLEASE suspend Strickland already?
Right? I’m so over that guy!
exactly !
I think if Dyson shows anything, Strickland is released!
Maybe sent down, too cheap to lose.
Trade bait. Big guy, throws hard.
Peter called it correctly. Bochy shouldn’t have sent Strickland out there.
Before or after Strick choked?
The ump squeezed him on the walk and then a well placed grounder. Strickland is the least of this team’s problems. It is a tough place to pitch.
Were talking about the guy not the team so stay on topic
Read the first sentence then and the last sentence. Both on topic.
No you need to read, I was talking about what PJ said not what Struck did.
In this string of comments you said that they should consider sending him down — LOL. Who would you bring up? You also asked if PJ made his comment before or after he choked. He didn’t choke — the Rockies relievers could not get anyone out either. Tough place to pitch.
Since you csnt figure out that i wanted to talk about if PJ guessed or made his comme t post-factos, let’s talk about Strick choking. You can’t use the altitude as a excuse, every pitcher lives with it. Struck didn’t come close to superseding at his job, therefore he choked. Yes, the rockie relievers choked too. As for sending him down, I don’t even know if he has any options. I was fishing for help on that. You can’t bring someone up to replace a player serving suspension.
I think there is another word better than choking. Is he putting pressure on himself? Is he over-gripping the ball which makes the ball flatten out and prevents late movement.
This was the 5th times he’d pitched in 6 days. Give the guy a little slack.
He pitched last 3 days I thin 2 innings in1 outing, Bochy a joke !
Just when I was backing into Stricks corner, he goes and pulls this crap. WTH
why won’t Bochy use Melancon …why ?????
Saving him for next week
Besides thr book, BB probably used Strickland because he will lose him soon to suspension.
Yes, done it for 3 days in a row, since he thought the suspension would start every day in it did not .
I feel like going Bryce Harper on Strickland.
I can also whip my hair back and forth.
You’re going to throw your helmet in to right field?
I’ll go Buster when you go Harper on Strickland.
Blaming the wrong guy, his pitch count last 3 days, says no way he should of pitched tonight .
Agree, PJ. Weird choice there.
Bochy was in use him up why we got him mode, instead of win game mode .
I guess to be fair, the bullpen had to eat six innings, and they were tied and maybe looking at extra innings. Not too many other options by that point.
Not weird choice at all–it was the only logical choice. Would have had to pinch hit with a pitcher, likely Cain in the tenth and needed to cover the possibility of at least one more inning to save–possibly way more with only Law, Melancon, Ceuto (who pitched yesterday) and Cain left as pitchers and no bench players left. Besides Strickland is likely to be suspended by tomorrow so last chance to use him. Best of a lot of bad choices.
Yeah, it’s tough when your starter only goes three. I think PJ has a point about Strickland pitching three days in a row and throwing lots of pitches. Law and Melancon have been shaky, too (to put it politely), but at least Melancon should have some gas in the tank.
Melamcon would have had to pitch at least two innings–that in and of itself would not be terrible though, with only Law and Strickland left had the the game gone past 10 innings that in Strickland might have been forced pitching three days in a row to be the long man under the Melancon/Law scenario. Under all the circumstances he was the right choice and will have several days to rest his arm
He could let Morris hit for himself if he was so worried about bullpen depth .
“IF” he was worried about bullpen depth? Please, how could he not be? Besides, braniac, Morris was already out of the game when Samardzija hit to try to go ahead in the 9th. Any more ideas, stupid or otherwise?
Um, the point was that strickland was tired and might simply lose the game, not whether he would have ample time to rest after losing the game.
Not just 3 in a row, 5 times in days.
i agree completely. All this Strick hate is asinine
I don’t freaking care dude. It would feel better to kick him in the nuts than old Bochster.
Immature , get over yourself.
You’re one to talk.
That still doesn’t excuse him from walking CarGo who was 0 for 24. Can’t walk anyone in a tie game, in late innings, in fucking Coors.
I’m agreeing with you more and more these days, Peter.
Now that is a truly scary thought
Whoa. They came back to tie? Sounds like some heart and desire and not laying down. Putting on a show at least.
Ty Blach had an RBI pinch-hit. Gorkys Hernandez made Holland blow his first save. Baseball is weird.
Yes, give the Giants credit, they fought back. Tied it on Holland, who hadn’t blown a save all season.
Also gave Davis his first blown save earlier in the season
Things to hang their hats on
First 3R homer of the season?
So funny I’m Crying
Span should have scored on that wild pitch. He was a step slow, hesitated, and then slid feet first straight into home plate.
No wonder Bochy didn’t use Melancon, he’s already pitched two innings this month and we’re already half way through it. Can’t be wearing out the $60 million man.
62 to be precise, right? What a freaking joke
I think he’s not really healthy, but having him not pitch for 12 days didn’t work, either. What a mess.
If he can’t pitch, put him on the DL. Nothing to lose. Why aggravate an injury?
Melancon has to be injured, or at least not 100%. Tie game after a great comeback, use the closer, Bochy. If he can’t go, Strickland gets suspended, and we’re down two starters…and Bochy insists on having his eight-man bullpen…can anybody HERE play this game!?
Pitched Strickland last 5 games in a row
See below why that was the only logical choice.
You defend Bochy what a shock !
Pitching that infrequently only makes it harder for Melancon to be effective on the rare occasion when Bochy actually uses him.
I don’t get the angle though. When they reach the wild card they pitch Bumgarner. Why? He’s the best pitcher, the most likely to win and you don’t get to the real playoffs if you don’t win that game. In this game you can’t win if you don’t make it to the 10th inning. So why not use the guy who is supposed to be the best reliever and instead use a guy who might be gassed from above normal recent outings?
I think the ‘thinking’ was:
(1) Use up Strickland before his suspension.
(2) Don’t use Melancon until the Giants take the lead.
On post-game wrap they just said that Posey has some inflammation on his ankle, should be a few days. Same for Nunez, a few days, at least this is the estimate the club house is saying right now. So are they going to play 3 short in 3 games in Coors field? Great idea!
Going for the No. 1 pick. But in all seriousness they have to make at least one move b/c you can’t play with one catcher especially in Coors.
Yes, they will be
Trevor Brown and Christian Arroyo. Don’t play it short. Not good. What’s the minimum DL time? Gonna be 5 days anyway.
10 days. DL them both, not worth rushing them back.
No. It’s not. Besides, Brown and Arroyo are definitely serviceable.
I totally agree!
NOOOO!!! DL means they won’t be available next week, when the Giants are in Atlanta. I’m going to the Wednesday game, and I really wanted to see both Posey and Nunez–especially Nunez–play. Get well quick, boys–no DL!
Actually had you been paying attention I criticized him earlier for not squeezing Hernandez from the first pitch. In this case he was correct however.
Span was safe, umpires cost the Giants the game, are a Melancon blown save .
Dude, he was not safe. Just go back and look at the replay. they showed it after the intermission. I promise you he was out
I was trusting Krukow , never again, missed the good replay .
Krukow saw the replay and admitted that he was out after they showed another angle. Happens man. You don’t get all the angles immediately. Maybe it was from the Rockies broadcast.
Rox broadcast showed the tag on the toes of the left foot about 3/8 of and inch before Span got the heel of the left foot on the plate. It was that close.
But it was a legitimate out
Yep.
That little hesitation by Span cost us the run. Furthermore, a leadoff guy w/legit plus speed–not plus-plus e.g. Hamilton–should have a quicker break to the plate. Also, he should have slid head first away from the plate, tagging it with his hand. He would have been safe, IMHO.
Another angle showed that he was out.
That’s what I get for believing Krukow, did not see that replay.
Making assertions without seeing or knowledge, gee who would have thougt that possible?
He was out– guess that was Bochy’s fault.
I missed the other replay , so yes it was your man crushes fault !
What!? Surf Maui is not the Denard Span apologist here, IMHO.
You saw Hernandez try and bunt, right?
And that horrible swing on basically a ground ball. He just hacked
Yes, you’ve seen Hernandez try to hit, right? Fortunately it worked out. Kudos to Hernandez for getting it ( barely) done
Holly mother of God, Betances has a .45 ERA. Damn!!
Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this wasn’t a team effort to mail it in but a team with little to zero confidence, with all the blown saves and such over the last 100 games. So maybe this is just what the team needed to get their bite back. The little engine that could just did. Almost. Baby steps. Came up short but this is not an angry gut wrenching loss that makes you sick. Painful yes. But the Gigantes just proved to themselves they can fight back, and next time, instead of coming up short they’ll get over the top. And if you’re called upon to pitch, hit, or make a play, do the damn job you’re suppose to do. That’s what you get paid for.
Yankees v A’s……. Ouch.
Go Yankees. Fuck the AAA’s always and forever
How much is Casillas getting paid with that vaunted 4.3 ERA?
11 mil for 2 years
Yikes.
Actually his ratio of saves to blown saves (10:3) is better than melancon’s.
I’ve been gone all day. Is it worth the watch the game?
Great comeback, something to build on, but still a loss. You could just feel it coming with Moore on the mound. His inconsistency is maddening, to say the least. Shark and Blach are our best chances for a split. Shark has to give us a quality start tonight, especially since we’re likely to lose Strickland for at least three games.
I didn’t get to see the game, but I got to read a lot of folks livid with bullpen decisions by a manager whose same pen gave up 2 runs over the last 6 innings at Coors. From a distance, the problem is exactly what you said: Moore. Again.
Precisely.
I decided, for some unexplained reason, not to follow your lead but instead to stay up and watch on the East Coast, even when all seemed lost at 8-1. Saw the comeback which was great fun. Had a feeling when they didn’t reverse the call on Span’s attempt at the go-ahead run that the end result would be disappointing. Sadly, that came true.
I like what I see of Slater’s approach at the plate. He seems to be comfortable so far on the big stage. Hope he can bring some stability to the LF mess.
Not if Bochy can help it. That isn’t the script.
I believe in the power and promise of change!
Bochy doesn’t.
Sad to say, this is likely true!
Span should have scored. He was out. Should not have been out. And we have another entire year of this. We got played by Boras.
Wow just read the box score on yahoo. Bruce use Blach and Samardzija as pinch hitters. How pathetic.
Injuries, 2Hole. Posey and Nunez go down with injury, leaving no one else to hit. Blach got an RBI single. Bad trolling, dude.
Slater hitting .405 and slugging .568 in 41 at bats. Bochy’s tactic of insisting on batting him 8th behind hitters batting hundreds of points lower isn’t rattling him, he’s made of sterner stuff than Williamson. What will Bochy try now? The old ‘pinch hit for him with a lefty backup with the game on the line’ trick which was so effective last year against Williamson will be tough because he doesn’t have any lefties on the bench. But let’s not underestimate the old fox. This is the man who got people to swallow a ‘the Giants have no competent reliever’ narrative for the last 6 weeks of last season while Will Smith was pitching 13.2 innings and giving up no runs, 4 singles, and striking out 20. He must have a few tricks left up his sleeve.
Zzzzzzzz
And you think it’s reasonable to have your hottest hitter batting 8th to set the table for the pitcher’s position?
John, you’re making a mountain out of Myhill (sorry, can’t resist). This is not the issue. Applaud what Slater is doing. It could be happening anywhere in the lineup but 8th is where it’s at. This team isn’t going anywhere. Just try to appreciate whatever development transpires.
The team’s most desperate need is in the outfield. Slater is doing incredibly well. Bochy is clearly doing his best to convince Slater than he’s not a serious candidate for a starting position, just like he did with Williamson, by insisting on having him hit 8th no matter how well he does. Can you think of any other reason for keeping him batting 8th? Because Slater just can’t compete with the offensive juggernauts in the Giants’ lineup? In what universe is this a good strategy for developing young players? A left fielder batting 8th? Don’t you think he should be trying to build his confidence? And spare me the ‘let him prove himself’ nonsense which other people here are spouting. Look at how Arroyo was treated.
They have a thing for their prized prospects and less of a thing for “surprise” prospects. Slater is doing great and he has seized the opportunity and giving the org every reason to pencil him for starting LF in 2018, batting anywhere from 6-8th. Arroyo should be batting down there too. Right now, Slater looks like the better hitter, but that could change in a few weeks. Maybe Belt should bat 8th. Or Pence. They’ve been awful.
“Prized” vs. Surprised” … nice turn of a phrase.
Did you notice that MyGuy™ JGreg was pulled from his start last night at the last minute? Maybe he gets his shot here soon instead of the September call-up? Looking for the lining that is silver.
Bring him up ! We gotta give the 40 man roster a good run. Bring up Crick and Hwang too!
Yes on Hwang … Protect Nunez with a real DL stint while you negotiate to trade him for that OF prospect. Maybe the Twins want him back? They should be Buyers.
When I saw that Nunez was injured (and yes, he should go on the DL, when was the last time a hamstring healed up in a day or two? That would be never), I started wondering who would replace him. Arroyo’s out after being HBP the other night, and I doubt they’d want to rush him back, anyway. Hwang is the interesting one because of the looming opt-out date. And Ryder Jones, who continues to be one of the most intriguing prospects in the system right now. Could be fun to see any of those guys.
Then I realized none of that will happen. They’ll just bring Conor Gillaspie back.
This season is turning you into a pessimist. And sadly you are probably right on this one.
Nunez is too valuable a tool to get slater out of the lineup by putting him in the outfield. Bochy won’t dl him if there”s any choice
Argh…….
I was going to mention that, too. Wonder what’s up? Gregorio’s a starter, but unless someone (Cain?) is ailing that we don’t know about, there’s no spot in the rotation. Maybe Melancon’s going back on the DL and they want to backfill the bullpen?
Not a peep on RiverCats twitter either. Reach out to your sources and find out; that is your territory up there.
I suspect it is just to swap a relief pitcher so they have a “Long Man” for this crazy four games in Bad Beer Ballpark.
Innings eater in Colorado and Atlanta?
Morris-Gearrin-Kontos. One of them goes and JGreg sets a shot.
See e.g. John Bowker re hot starts. Hope Slater is the real deal but first you complain if he sat a couple of games, now it’s because he’s only hitting eighth in the lineup and succeeding.
This year’s narrative is “pinch-hit for a young righty with an old righty.” I happened with Williamson-Morse and then Slater-Hill.
That said, batting Slater eighth does seem to be working, and he gets his sea legs with less pressure on him. Since developing him (and others yet to come) is more important than winning games in this lost season, I don’t really see a problem with it.
Exactly. The rookie is doing well so far in his assigned role, so why F with him? Bash Bochy for the stuff that’s not working, not for the (few) things that are.
If his hottest hitter is batting higher than 8th, he helps produce more runs.
What’s up Mr. S ? Good morning.
I see a big problem with it. What kind of a message is it sending slater? ‘You have no future here’. And if that’s a good way to treat young hitters, why didn’t bochy do it with arroyo?
Slater, a Stanford kid, I’m sure is getting exactly the right message: The outfield is wide open in this organization for the next few years. Opportunity is knocking. Just walk through that door. So far, so good.
Plus, he’s suddenly the back-up third baseman!
You’re confusing an obvious fact with the completely contradictory message which bochy is sending.
Being in the lineup everyday does not send that message. Where he hits in the order is not relevant to this horse$hit team. What matters is that he plays everyday and gets a full big league season under him. He’s raking in the 8 hole so let him be there for a while. Plus, I think it’s actually a good experience because it tests his patience. Hitting 8 in the NL is actually not that easy of a spot to hit because pitchers don’t have to come in with the opposing pitcher on deck. If this team was competing for a playoff spot (LOL) then I’d be a bit more upset about it’s hottest hitter way down in the order. But, as is, I have no problem with it and it’s certainly not an issue worth losing your mind over.
Exactly. So why give him an unusually difficult challenge when he’s just starting? The only reason is to take away his confidence. Look at what happened with mac. Bochy dumped him in the #8 spot, he couldn’t handle it and now he’s back in the minors.
The problem with destroying slater’s confidence with hill is that hill is already being used to block tomlinson’s progress. It gets complicatex to try to use him to block slater also.
Only that the really good pitchers pitch around him, he gets impatient, etc. if there’s an open base he won’t get good pitches to hit. If Nunez goes on the DL, I’d love to see him get some run in the three hole.
Yes, that’s exactly what happened with williamson.
Exactly. Let him continue to build his confidence. It has minimal impact, if any, on wins and losses. And, even so, this team is going absolutely NOWHERE other than towards a top 3 pick. I just want Slater to get in a full season and gain the confidence that he can be the answer to the Giants LF black hole. As disastrous as this season has been, and it’s been about as disastrous as possible, it would be ironic if what was thought to be the biggest problem going in gets solved…while everything else disintegrates around it.
Bochy can’t last forever. Maybe next year Wotus will be in command and be able to put out mediocre but mostly homegrown lineups such as this:
Span/CF prospect acquired in trade
Panik 2B
Posey C
Belt 1B
Crawford SS
Pence/Parker RF
Slater/Parker/?? LF
Arroyo 3B
Pitcher
My God, this team is going to be just as bad next year!
Shaw, Shaw will fill in the question mark, and Parker could be just as gone as Williamson. We’ll see how Parker’s comeback goes. Shaw did HR in a blowout and Williamson had another Ofer and is batting .230something in AAA – looking at the end of his line in this org.
But good luck getting any impact FA hitters to SF
All the more reason to try to encourage slater
He’s being encouraged. I’m sure he’s thrilled and encouraged to be in an MLB lineup on a daily basis, not caring if it’s 8th, 9th, or 3!
He’s too smart for that. He knows that the giants are a graveyard for outfield prospects.
Please get a new song. This one is getting tiresome.
It’s early, but indicators are pointing towards a record high in the Myhill Index…already 8 transactions within the hour, and each response seems to send the market into a frenzy
You two should rent a room and play Bochy highlights, and fantasize about him .
And you need to pump the brakes, Peter. You’re way off and way out of line with that stuff. I’ve been trying to show patience with your posts and see the good in them. That’s hard to go when you respond like this.
Word.
Then if he’s really smart, like Stanford smart, he’ll devise a way to get himself traded, as Duvall did, which was very genius of Adam, who was also a Cardinal, albeit a Louisville Cardinal.
Hopeless. The giants have learned their lesson from duvall. They’ll never trade an outfield prospect because they’re afraid of looking bad again if he turns out to be good.
So you aren’t taking slater seriously? Same category as parker? Haven’t noticed he’s hitting over .400?
that’s pretty good for a 50 PA SSS! That’s real good. But how sustainable is that? Should that be the basis for batting him 3/4? I mean it doesn’t really matter, such a shift isn’t going to change their fortunes. I mean do it, make the change (but it’s not worth getting upset over).
Tomlinson 2B
Nunez 3B
Slater LF
Posey 1B
Crawford SS
Hundley C
Pence RF
Span CF
Pitcher
If you consider it in the context of the giants not having developed a starting outfielder in about a millenium, we can hardly assume that slater’s development will just take care of itself
No, but I’d like to see him hit 2nd/3rd once in awhile. Maybe move up to sixth/seventh now and then. Let’s see what all we have here.
LOVE your lineup!!
Oh yeah, Ryan–in answer to your earlier question about Friday night treats: Grandaddy Purple.
Paragraphs can be your friend, sir. Maybe decaf, too.
For someone that tends to get indigninant and accuse others of taking unfair shots, you clearly don’t have a problem doing it yourself. If guess if you don’t have a good response to the substance, attack the form?
Standings. The NL West with 3 40+ win teams. The Rockies are only 2.5 games back of the torrid pace set by the Astros, and the Dodgers and DBacks are just a game back of the Rox. And how about those Brewers! Who wants Johnny Cueto ? – his ERA is pretty similar to Sonny Gray’s. Which starter would a contender rather have given contracts and durability concerns?
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB-standings.shtml
Will Brandon Belt make it to the illustrious 20 HR threshold? 11 HRs through 68 games. Just when you think he’s a shoe in, he goes into a deep funk and the slope of his trajectory gets shaved down. Will he get hot in August and make it inevitable?
You’ve already written off July?
…and the second half of June?
BB9 has usually hit well in that six week post ASB period. But I’m concerned about lack of hits. More troubling than the Ks is the barrage of ground balls to the right side. We’ve seen him drive the ball the opposite way. We need that ASAP.
He’s not having a good year, but he’s not the biggest problem. He’s still leading the team in HRs and on pace for 23-24 for the season, and he still has an OBP around .350 and an OPS in the high .700s. He’s a bit below his career norms, but he’s still a competent major league hitter.
Pence’s drop-off is alarming but I guess not stunning considering age and recent injury history. Panik’s continued mediocrity is disappointing. Crawford’s bat seems slow. Span was a bad signing. It’s just a bad constellation of factors. Really, really bad.
Things are shifting ever so slightly.
Panik is hitting .353 for June
Span stands at .261 for the year so actually that is better than most veterans on this club.
Agree on Pence’s performance but age seems to easy to pick on. Still injured?
You pretty much nailed it. I didn’t mean to intimate that Belt was the biggest issue or disappointment. I am frustrated because I know he’s better than this. The pull happy swings are resulting in too many outs.